Michael K. Gould, MD, MS

Dr. Gould’s research interests include technology assessment, cost-effectiveness analysis, meta-analysis, prognostic modeling and assessment of health-related quality of life. He applies tools of quantitative decision making to study clinical and policy questions in thoracic oncology, pulmonary medicine and critical care. Previously, Dr. Gould evaluated the cost-effectiveness of low-molecular-weight heparin preparations for treatment of patients with acute deep venous thrombosis, for which he received the award for Best Applied Research from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. In more recent work, Dr. Gould examined the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for diagnosis in patients with solitary pulmonary nodules and for regional lymph node staging in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Dr. Gould found that PET is most cost-effective when used selectively, specifically when the clinical pre-test probability and the results of computed tomography (CT) disagree. For work related to this project, he was selected as a Finalist for an Alfred Soffer Research Award from the Chest Foundation of the American College of Chest Physicians.

In current research funded by NCI, Dr. Gould is developing and validating a computerized decision support system for managing patients with pulmonary nodules. He is also a co-investigator on a NCI-funded study to examine the potential cost-effectiveness of low-dose spiral computed tomography for lung cancer screening. In another project funded by VA HSR&D that is just underway, Dr. Gould is examining the timeliness of care in veterans with lung cancer at 13 different VA facilities.

Dr. Gould serves on the Steering Committee of the Thoracic Oncology Network of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and is section editor for the pulmonary nodule chapter on the ACCP Lung Cancer Guidelines Panel.

Dr. Gould also has experience measuring health state preferences and health-related quality of life in lung transplant candidates and recipients, and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. In the field of critical care, Dr. Gould has examined practices and outcomes for delivering nutritional support, preventing venous thromboembolism and managing ventilator-associated pneumonia.